The man opened his eyes. Not far away, on another bed, Kalpas was sound asleep. Softening his movements, the man dressed and got out of bed, pushing the door open to leave the room.
He and Kalpas slept in the same room—a utility space next to the sanitarium's warehouse. The sanitarium was cramped, so they had no choice but to share.
It was a pitch-black night, devoid of stars.
The man crossed the courtyard and reached the sanitarium's main gate. Reaching into the mailbox, he pulled out a letter. He tore open the envelope and stepped under the streetlight of the open front gate to read.
Because his color vision was compromised, reading the letter in the dim light was a struggle; he had to focus intensely to make out each word. By the time he finished, five minutes had passed.
"To Mr. Ultraman:
Thank you for your help; may the Lord protect you. I may not know your identity, and perhaps you do not wish to disclose it, but I will keep this kindness in my heart. I hope you find what you are seeking.
You seem to have a connection with the benefactor who once helped this sanitarium. Could you tell me—what kind of person was He?
— The Nun, Aponia."
The man folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. When he turned back, he saw a silent figure standing motionless under the eaves.
Kalpas had his arms crossed, seemingly waiting for him.
The man thought for a moment and walked over.
"...Can't sleep?" Kalpas asked abruptly as he approached.
The man nodded. "Mhm. Insomnia."
"It's best not to leave the grounds of the sanitarium at night, otherwise... never mind. Follow me."
Kalpas seemed to have a knack for talking to himself, much like a certain pink-haired girl. The only difference was that Elysia was beautiful and loved to smile, while Kalpas—even with a mask covering his face—always gave the impression he was doing things with a scowl.
The man assumed Kalpas was taking him back to the room, but instead, he walked straight into the warehouse. After fumbling around in the pitch-dark space for a while, he hauled out... a barbecue grill?
Kalpas gestured for the man to follow, carrying the grill with one hand to the backyard of the sanitarium. He set it up and placed some charcoal inside.
The man didn't see exactly how Kalpas lit it; he simply leaned over and tinkered for a second, and the charcoal—which normally should have taken a while to ignite—instantly flared up.
Did he pour some alcohol on it?
"Hey."
Kalpas tossed a package. The man caught it and saw in the firelight that it was a bag of potato chips.
Barbecue-flavored chips, small individual pack.
Producing some metal skewers, Kalpas tore open a bag and began skewering the yellow snacks. Since these chips seemed to have lost their crunch due to moisture, the process was relatively easy, and they didn't snap.
Potato chips are already deep-fried; roasting them over a fire would only cause the caloric snacks to char instantly—
The man didn't say this out loud. After watching for a moment, he silently mimicked Kalpas, tearing open a pack and taking some skewers to put them over the coals.
Kalpas glanced at him but said nothing.
Two masked men sat in silence, roasting potato chips in weather cold enough to kill. Neither the man nor Kalpas wore much clothing, yet neither felt the chill.
Kalpas brushed oil onto the chips, ensuring they heated evenly and didn't burn to a crisp. Then, he pulled several bottles of seasoning from his pocket and asked the man, "Do you want spicy or salty?"
Roast potato chips had different flavors?
"Is there sweet?"
"...You have strange taste."
The man didn't care what he ate; he couldn't sense the flavor regardless.
"Aponia picked you up; I don't care what business is between you two." Kalpas flipped the chips, staring at the dancing flames that turned his cardboard mask blood-red. "But if I catch you doing something 'not so good,' hehe..."
He laughed without hiding his intent. A frantic, murderous surge erupted for an instant and then vanished.
The man never replied. He seemed more interested in the chips than in Kalpas.
Kalpas snorted, and since the man wouldn't take the bait, he didn't bother further. Potato chips didn't take long to roast; they just needed to be warmed and seasoned to be eaten.
Kalpas watched curiously as the man picked up a skewer of chips covered in white sugar, lifted his mask slightly, and crunched through two skewers in two bites, swallowing them down.
He looked perfectly normal.
A weirdo, just like Aponia.
Kalpas shrugged and took a skewer covered in chili powder, finishing it in two bites as well. But just as he swallowed, the man had already finished two skewers and was reaching for a third...
Their hands grabbed for the same skewer at once.
Kalpas and the man locked eyes for a second, then simultaneously grabbed chips and began eating.
"..."
"...Hahahaha."
It didn't even take a minute for them to finish. Kalpas couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Was there any meaning to this? None at all. Two grown men setting up a grill in the backyard of a sanitarium at midnight—when not even a star was visible—to roast potato chips and fight over them... it sounded like something only patients in a mental ward would do.
Yet, meaningless things don't need to be assigned a purpose.
The man licked the seasoning from his finger. After setting the skewer down, he suddenly asked, "Are there more?"
"Huh?"
"The sound is very pleasant."
For a moment, Kalpas didn't understand. What did he mean by the sound being pleasant?
"When eating potato chips, the sound is quite nice," the man explained.
He really is a weirdo. He doesn't judge food by the taste, but by the sound?
Then again, it was just potato chips; they didn't really need a "flavor."
"Here." Kalpas tossed him another bag. "The last one."
"Mhm."
The man quickly skewered them and put them on the grill.
"...Why roast potato chips?" the man asked during the process.
"Hmph. Does there need to be a why? Because I feel like it."
Kalpas found a stone to sit on. He looked at the grill, then at the sanitarium.
"How long have you been here?"
"I can't remember. Two years? Three?" Kalpas answered casually. He seemed to be in a decent mood, so he wasn't as resistant to questions. "Keeping track of time is pointless."
"I might stay at the sanitarium for a while. Is that alright?"
"Tch. I told you, that woman brought you back. It's not my business."
"Thank you."
"..."
Kalpas muttered something under his breath, but the man didn't catch it.